Gerry Conway’s Skulls for Justice shirts raise $45,000 for Black Lives Matter so far

The Punisher co-creator uses the skull symbol ‘for the cause of equal justice and Black Lives Matter;’ the campaign runs through June 30.

The death of George Floyd and the protests against police brutality that followed have also once again put the spotlight on the use of the Punisher logo by police officers. The skull logo, often altered to include a blue line, has become a popular symbol with some members of law enforcement, with many websites selling bootleg merchandise.

While Disney hasn’t done anything (yet) to stop the sale of this merchandise, Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway has taken matters into his own hands. He has a campaign up on the website Custom Ink call Skulls for Justice, and has teamed with several artists to sell shirts featuring altered versions of the Punisher logo, in support of Black Lives Matter. And so far, he said, they’ve raised more than $45,000 for the organization.

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Mail Call | James Stokoe is doing a Clownhunter story for a ‘Joker Wars’ one-shot

Plus: News from Image, Aftershock and the CBLDF.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

Batman: The Joker War Zone #1 is a collection of short stories that tie into the upcoming “Joker Wars” storyline in Batman. The 48-page one-shot will include stories by James Tynion IV, John Ridley, Guillem March, James Stokoe, Joshua Williamson, David Lafuente and more.

The artwork above is from Stokoe’s contribution, a story featuring the new character Clownhunter. In the press release, DC says this is “the brutal full debut of the mysterious new anti-hero known as Clownhunter.”

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Denny O’Neil passes away at 81

The prolific writer, editor and teacher died from natural causes June 11.

Writer, editor and teacher Denny O’Neil has passed away at the age of 81. According to Newsarama, O’Neil died of natural causes in his home last night.

O’Neil was one of the most prolific writers of Batman, having written more than 200 issues featuring the character. His work appeared in Batman, Detective Comics and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. In the 1970s, he was credited with bringing Batman back to his darker roots, following the campy Batman TV show of the 1960s. He co-created Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Leslie Thompkins and Azrael, and also edited the Batman titles from 1986 through 2000.

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Cantwell + CAFU take over ‘Iron Man’

Tony Stark will don Alex Ross-designed armor in a new series coming this fall.

When Iron Man blasts off this fall in a new series by Christopher Cantwell (Doctor Doom) and CAFU (Jane Foster: Valkyrie), it’ll be Tony Stark once again wearing the armor, in a new suit designed by Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels).

According to Marvel.com, Tony is “putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. But can he really lay that Stark-sized ego down? Life isn’t always that simple, something that old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out.  If you strip a billionaire down to his bolts, does he run solid…or just overheat?”

The series follows the conclusion of the Iron Man 2020 miniseries, which features Tony’s brother Arno as Iron Man. The final three issues of that series will come out this summer.

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Quarantine Comix to be collected in September

‘Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix’ #1 will collect stories by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and more.

If you’ve been waiting for all the fun Quarantine Comix released by the Ice Cream Man team to come to print, have I got some good news for you, with sprinkles on top — Image Comics will release Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix in September.

Originally started to help raise money for retailers who had to close down their shops during the corornavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders, Quarantine Comix was the brainchild of the team behind Image’s crazy horror anthology, Ice Cream Man. W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and Good Old Neon created six minicomics that they released and sold online, with half of their profits going to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or BINC. Those were followed by a “guest series” that wraps up this week with a new comic by Christopher Cantwell and Eoin Marron.

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‘Detective #1027’ celebrates 1,000 issues of Batman

An all-star team of creators will contribute to this landmark issue.

Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 more than 80 years ago, and DC will celebrate a huge milestone for the character in Detective #1,027, a 144-page, $9.99 issue.

“Detective #1027 has been a massive undertaking, and I’m really excited for fans to see what editors Paul Kaminski and Dave Wielgosz have in store come September,” said Ben Abernathy, Batman Group Editor. “A great combination of writers and artists are putting in their best work on the book and fans should pay close attention to these stories, since some of them will plant the seeds for both Batman’s future and that of the DC universe.”

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DC boots up ‘DC Cybernetic Summer’ anthology for July

The robots will rise in a new summer-themed anthology.

DC’s next seasonal anthology will celebrate the summer in style — robot style. The publisher has revealed DC Cybernetic Summer, a collection of stories featuring Red Tornado, Robotman, Cyborg and other mechanically themed heroes, as well as Superman, Wonder Woman and others of a non-mechanical nature.

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to find in the anthology:

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Mail Call | Fantagraphics 40% off sale, Batman, Pearl Jam and more

Rounding up news from IDW, DC, Image and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

Fantagraphics is holding a 40% off clearance sale on their website right now, which ends this Saturday. There’s a lot of good stuff to choose from, including volumes of the Mome anthology, Dungeon Quest, some Michael Kupperman books, Roger Langridge’s Fred the Clown and more.

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Taylor + Robertson have a ‘twisted’ John Constantine story coming in September

‘Hellblazer: Rise & Fall’ brings the Vertigo bad boy to DC’s Black Label for a three-issue series.

DC Comics has announced Hellblazer: Rise & Fall, a new three-issue Black Label series by Tom Taylor (Suicide Squad, DCeased) and Darick Robertson (The Boys, New Warriors). The story involves a police detective, Aisha Bukhari, trying to solve the mystery behind the bodies of billionaires falling from the sky — with some help from her childhood friend, John Constantine.

If there’s any character who screams “Black Label,” it’s gotta be John Constantine.

“This is a very twisted book,” said Taylor. “But, I actually want to give people exactly the John they’ve seen before. I want to write the bloke who steps out of the shadows with the smirk, the lit cigarette and all the answers. I want a story of shocks and sadness and triumph in the face of utter horror.”

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Comics Lowdown: Can Disney stop cops from using the Punisher symbol?

Plus: News on Al Jaffe, Uncivilized Books, awards and more.

With police brutality once again in the public eye, many fans on social media have called out Disney/Marvel to put their litigious muscles to work and prevent cops from using the Punisher logo — a popular emblem with some members of law enforcement, despite the fact that Frank Castle is a criminal and a killer.

First, you can find some history of both the character and its popularity with police here. That piece’s writer, Brian Cronin, is not only a contributor to CBR, but also a lawyer, and he offers his thoughts on why he doesn’t think Disney would have much success in an article titled “There’s Not Much Marvel Can Do About Cops Using Punisher’s Logo.” Cronin writes:

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Ewing + Di Meo team for a new SF series from BOOM!

‘We Only Find Them When They’re Dead’ features a starship that harvests the giant corpses of alien gods.

Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo will team for a new science fiction series kicking off in September titled We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.

“We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is a concept I’ve been brewing for some years now, something that merges a few of my favorite things – high-concept action, world-building, quests for the meaning behind existence and heavily metaphorical science fiction – and uses them to create a universe we’re building out into something truly vast, rich and strange,” said Ewing. “No matter which parts of my work you’ve enjoyed before, there’ll be something here for you to love.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Get ready for Adventure(man)

See what recommendations we have this week for new comics coming from Marvel, Image, Oni and more.

Comics continue to return this week, with some old favorites and big debuts.

If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below from the Smash Pages crew. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally. As always, you should check with your local shop on their hours, curbside pick-up, etc. in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay safe out there.

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